Dallas Mavericks Blog

Kevin Durant: I rooted for the Raptors as a kid because I was a Vince Carter fan

Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant grew up in Baltimore but he wasn’t a fan of the Washington Wizards or any of the other NBA teams near the east coast. No, Durant was a fan of the Toronto Raptors because he was a fan of Vince Carter.

Carter, the 35-year-old Mavericks shooting guard, was a 20-point per game scorer known for his highlight dunks while leading the Raptors to three consecutive playoff appearances from 1999-2002.

“Believe it or not, I wanted to play for the Toronto Raptors; that was my favorite team growing up,” Durant recently said on The Dan Patrick radio show. “I was a big Vince Carter fan and I just liked their jerseys, to be honest. They were a new team when I was growing up, so I wanted to be a part of that.”

Patrick then asked Durant if he loved Carter because of his jumping ability.

“Just his enthusiasm he showed, just his athleticism, and how he brought Toronto from being one of the newer teams in the league to almost going to the Finals,” Durant responded. “He changed the culture there in Toronto.”

Durant has undoubtedly affected the basketball culture in Oklahoma City as a 30-point per game scorer who has delivered three consecutive playoff appearances of his own.

Carter no longer has the same impact but he’s still contributing significantly. In 40 games this season, Carter is averaging 11.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists.